WBBL stars celebrate success with Dolly’s Dream

To celebrate a successful year both on and off the field, the Rebel Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) celebrated its partnership with anti-bullying initiative Dolly’s Dream after the competition’s packed-out finals series.

The WBBL teamed up with Dolly’s Dream ahead of the semi-finals, with all ticket revenue from the semi-finals and the grand final going directly to Dolly’s Dream’s anti-bullying programs.

WBBL stars and Dolly’s Dream Ambassadors, Meg Lanning, Rachael Haynes and Elyse Villani presented the proceeds to Dolly’s Dream to support its work in reducing the incidence of bullying, cyber bullying and other cyber risks, and to advocate for the safety and well-being of children.

The WBBL final at Drummoyne Oval, Sydney topped a huge fourth season for the competition. More than 8735 people attended the semi-finals and final, with all ticket revenue donated to Dolly’s Dream in an effort to combat bullying.

The final was also the most
watched WBBL game in history, with a combined average audience of 479,000,
peaking at 812,000.

Alannah & Madeline Foundation CEO and Dolly’s
Dream board member, Lesley Podesta, said the partnership has been inspiring for
many.

“Dolly’s Dream raises awareness about how
serious bullying is and the devastating effects it can have,” Ms Podesta said.

“Our Ambassadors, together with all WBBL players and staff at Cricket
Australia, are working to make changes in the community, to help stop bullying
from happening in the first place. We’re very grateful for their support.”

The
Ambassadors said that they know first-hand what a huge challenge bullying can
be, especially for female athletes and are proud to be ambassadors for such an
important cause.

“As
a young girl who was playing what was then perceived a boy’s sport, I
experienced bullying on a number of occasions and I don’t wish it on anyone to
feel that way,” said Elyse Villani.

“We
are all passionate about ensuring people are aware of their self-worth, raising
awareness about devastating impacts of bullying and dedicate ourselves to doing
what we can do to create a society committed to preventing bullying.”